A five-colored auspicious mist had gathered around the depot as more of the barrels of peach spirit wine were pced in their spot. As the goblin workers loaded the st of the barrels, Garrelt could almost swear he saw a gentle light leak out from between the boards.

  He swallowed hard, and his throat suddenly felt dry.

  “It’s a shame we’re using such fine spirit wine as bait. Think the goblins had any left?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the depot. The three other expedition leaders standing beside each other had their own thoughts on the sight.

  Bert simply shrugged. “I doubt it,” he said. “The Mud Drake is a big boy. I think we’ll need every drop for our pn to work.”

  “We also lost access to the peach grove,” Robert said. He didn’t look at Garrelt, though his eyes shifted toward the scout leader. “A shame, that. We could have asked them to make us a barrel or two in celebration once the drake is captured.”

  Garrelt ground his teeth. The expedition party leader hadn’t outright bmed Garrelt since their confrontation in the command tent two days ago. Yet that hadn’t stopped the man from making rather snide remarks around others. Especially the other leaders of the Adventurers.

  Maggy stared at barrels of wine while biting the tip of her thumb. “I’m just upset they wouldn’t let me watch the winemaking process! Deep Tribe alchemy is still mostly unknown on the surface. Do you have any idea how valuable that information would have been?!”

  Bert rubbed his chin at the young woman’s words. “Aye, that would have been fun to see. I’ve had my fair share of spirit wines in my time, and I feel comfortable saying this batch is rather impressive. And to make it in only two days?” Bert shook his head, awe in his voice. “If they sold this in Halirosa, the vilge could make a killing.”

  Robert raised a brow at the rge man’s words. “Really? I’ve never had a taste for alcohol myself. Is it really that different from what is avaible on the market now?”

  Bert wiggled his hand back and forth. “Well… no, not really. The process of making spirit wine isn’t that different from mundane wines. You take a bunch of spirit fruit, stuff it in a barrel, and let it ferment. The difference is in the concentration of Spirit Energy. As spirit wine ages, it absorbs and condenses Spirit Energy from the air.”

  He waved his hand toward the auspicious mist swirling around the depot. “Something like this,” he said, “I would expect to see from a batch that has been aging for decades, not days.” Bert shrugged. “The fruit and environment used could py a part — this is the Deep, after all — but that doesn’t mean the goblin’s technique isn’t astounding.”

  “I see…” Robert responded, turning back to the depot. “Interesting.”

  A moment of silence passed before Robert spoke again. “Speaking of our goblin friends, how do you feel about the situation?”

  Garrelt frowned and folded his arms while Bert pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Maggy’s eyes flickered between the three men, question marks practically floating off her head.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  Robert turned to the young woman and shrugged. “This whole situation feels… odd, is all. Be it the dungeon or the approaching bandits, our ‘friends’ obviously know more than they’ve been letting on.”

  Maggy tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “You think they’re not telling us the full story?” she asked.

  Garrelt sneered, “Why shouldn’t they? Tensions between Adventurers and the Deep Tribes have always been strained. Considering everything they’ve been through recently, I don’t fault them for keeping their cards close to their chest.”

  Robert turned and gred at Garrelt. “And what happens when one of those secrets bites us in the rear? As expedition leader, I’m responsible for the safety of our people above all else.” Though his words were soft and steady, a distinct fire to Robert’s words made Maggy take a step back.

  Garrelt whirled and pointed his finger at Robert, but before he could speak, Big Bert stepped between the two men, his hands outstretched.

  “Hey now, no need for that… not here.” He said as he gnced around the area. Maggy followed his gaze. While work hadn’t stopped, she realized several workers present, both goblin and Adventurer, had noticed the change in atmosphere and had turned their attention to them. However, with the leadership’s eyes on them, the workers quickly turned away and focused back on their work.

  “Robert is right. There’s more to the story than we’re being told,” Bert said, his voice even and low. “But so is Garrelt. The vilge has been through a lot recently. It’s not surprising that they don’t fully trust us. Trust, once lost, is not so easily regained.” He stared into Robert’s eyes, unblinking.

  Robert stared back silently before raising his hand in defeat. “Fair. Fair enough,” he said with a heavy exhale. “I only wanted you all to be aware of what I’ve noticed. A lot is riding on this expedition, and it would be a shame for things to go awry because of negligence. Keep your eyes out for anything ‘strange’ and let me know.” With that, Robert turned and walked away.

  Bert stared at the expedition leader’s back and frowned.

  “Yes, sir… I’ll be sure to do that,” he called after him.

  ——————————————————

  Boarsyer lifted the heavy wine barrel off the back of the antborg and inhaled the thick rainbow-colored mist that leaked slightly from it. “Seems like such a waste…Maybe just a small taste?” she said, shaking her head in disappointment.

  “Quit compining. I can always make more,” Alpha responded through the antborg.

  Boarsyer tsked and loaded the wine barrel on the small cart. They had to transfer the barrels over to prevent questions from the Adventurers when they neared the river. The expeditionary party knew Demon Ants were in the cavern, but they hadn’t yet connected the dots. Alpha was sure they would, in time — it wasn’t something they could hide forever, after all — but he wanted to keep that secret a surprise for now. It would be useful for what came next.

  Antchaser secured the load to the cart while a nearby Dr. Maria spoke to the armored form of Hugo. Antchaser still wasn’t sure how to feel about Alpha recruiting the former bandit, but he recognized he had little say in the matter.

  Hugo saluted the old doctor, then turned and walked toward the secret entrance to the Dragon’s Garden. Dr. Maria turned to Boarsyer and Antchaser, stopping short of the cart.

  “According to the boys, everything is in pce. The drake is sleeping, the trail is set, and the river gates are opened. All we’ve got to do is dump the load into the dragon pool and make a break for it,” she said with a wide grin. “I have to admit, I’m excited. I’ve not been drake hunting in decades!”

  Antchaser strapped on the towline for the cart and pulled it onto the paved forest road. “Let’s get this over then, I guess.” He then began pulling the cart toward their destination. “We’ve got a drake to capture.”

  ——————————————————

  << Alpha Log -

  6952 SFY-Third Era, 8 standard months since Pnetfall.

  Final Day of Operation: Safari Hunt >>

  Hello again, my dedicated fanbase! Because let’s face it, if you’re still reading these reports, you’re just here to find out what happens next in this grand adventure.

  Huh, maybe I should make this into a book when I get back to the Federation.

  I can see it now! ‘An Interstelr Weapon Ptform’s Guide’ gracing every shelf of every bookstore on every pnet! Ya! I like that idea. Censor me on the web, will you!? Well, let’s see how your ‘bureaucracy’ holds up against billions of rabid book fans! Alpha’s back, Baby!

  Ahem… Where was I? Oh, right, Operation - Safari Hunt. The pn is going well so far. Maybe a bit too well, honestly. What with all the insanity on this bullcrap pnet — and that’s coming from me — I’m waiting for the boot to drop. Luckily for everyone involved, I’ve had a lot of free time recently! You’d be surprised at how much work you can get done when you dump — sorry, delegate — the workload to a group of willing… helpers.

  What that means is I’ve been working on some rather tasty contingencies. Oh, I’m sure I’m going to make a lot of people very angry, very soon, but that’s just par for the course. They’ll live, though, and that’s the point.

  Still… I do feel a little bad.

  … Stop ughing, I’m serious!

  I’ll admit, the goblins have grown on me. Their tenacity and willingness to do what they need to in order to accomplish their goals reminds me a lot of me. Some of the Adventurers aren’t too bad either, I guess. Either way, as some of the more philosophical of them like to say, ‘what will be, will be.’

  Could I do things differently? Maybe.

  But if I’m honest? I don’t want to. One thing I’ve learned over the past few months is that, be they goblin or Adventurer, they’re perfectly content with drawing their own conclusions based on what they think they know. Why bother stirring the pot more than necessary? By the time they think to question themselves, they’ll already be proudly waving the Federation fg.

  Man, I’m good at my job.